Many machine shops are behind the times when it comes to marketing online. But digital marketing is one of the best ways to drive sales to your business. Here are five tips you can use to increase your sales.
Use Your Website as a Marketing Tool
It is essential you have a central online place where your potential customers can find out more about your company and the services that you provide. So, build a website.
Customers need to know what sets your company apart from others. Your website is the ideal place to showcase things like the certifications you have, how your machine shop contributes to the environment, and what technical specifications you can handle. By clearly communicating what you can offer, you can go above and beyond customers’ initial requests and provide them with end-to-end support.
Write Regular Blogs
By posting a regular blog on your website, you will attract more potential customers. When people search online for information about machine shop services, they may only be after information rather than wanting to purchase products and services. Seeing as you are sure to have industry insider knowledge about various machine shop procedures, you can utilize your knowledge by posting blogs about specific things. For example, you could write about the process of CNC machining, the types of materials used in manufacturing, or what second-hand and new machines are available from companies like Revelationmachinery.com. The more you write about a wide variety of topics, incorporate SEO strategies, and include links to other relevant web pages, the more online searchers will find your company, even when they are not looking for your specific services.
This is all part of brand awareness. The more content you post online, the more people you will attract to your website. In turn, that means you can convert more traffic into actual customers.
Use Google Analytics to Understand Your Site Traffic
To come up with appropriate marketing campaigns for your machine shop, you need to understand your target audience. Use free online analytics tools like Google Analytics to help you gain more knowledge about the people viewing your website. You can find out how many people view your website, what they do when they are there, where those users are located, and much more.
Armed with more detailed information about your potential client base, you can adapt your marketing techniques accordingly to ensure your website users become customers.
Use Relevant Social Media Platforms
Do not just rely on your website to drive sales for your machine shop. It is important your business has an extensive presence online. One of the best ways of achieving that is to utilize social media platforms. However, you do not want to waste your time signing up to platforms that do not have users interested in your type of services. Instead, spend some time researching the audience demographics of different social media sites to ensure you get on the right platforms.
LinkedIn is one of the best for the manufacturing industry, as it is full of professionals from that sector and related industries. You can even use LinkedIn to gain recommendations and endorsements. And by being on social media platforms, you will improve your Search Engine Optimization, making it easier for potential customers to find you when searching on sites like Google.
Use Emails to Nurture Leads into Sales
Digital platforms like your website and social media sites are excellent for nurturing leads, but you still need to convert those leads into sales. One of the best ways to achieve that is to use email marketing.
You can ask users to sign up for regular email updates or newsletters on your website and other platforms. Once you have potential customers’ email addresses, you can target them with marketing strategies to drive sales. Email automation platforms can save you time and effort. They also enable you to track metrics such as click rates, open rates, and conversions. You can then use those analytics to tailor your messaging and move prospective customers down the sales funnel. But make sure your emails are clear and precise. Email is not the place for extended content. Use a catchy subject heading to let users know why they should read your latest email, and then get straight to the point in the content of your email marketing campaign.
